The Michigan Criminal Justice Program works directly with incarcerated individuals in the Michigan State corrections system. Staff and volunteers advocate for and with incarcerated individuals numerous issues related to conditions inside corrections facilities. Through this direct, person-first approach and targeted advocacy the Michigan Criminal Justice Program aligns itself to prioritize vital issues and improve policy and community actions related to identified priorities. These include eliminating life and excessive sentences while addressing violence in our communities through comprehensive accountability; addressing conditions in correctional facilities for incarcerated LGBTQ people; assisting people as they prepare for parole hearings and highlighting models of community accountability; working to eradicate laws that lead to the overrepresentation of Black and Brown people in corrections facilities; addressing conditions of confinement for parents and pregnant mothers; and increasing awareness on the over-representation of people with significant mental impairments in prisons in MI. This work combats the state violence of the criminal justice systems in our communities and works to change the paradigm away from punishment toward healing, wellness and total liberation for all.